Today, Key Biscayne becomes America's most international island as tennis players from around the world gather for the Sony Ericsson.

I've been attending the tournament since it was called The Lipton, usually on the first Saturday, when the worldliness is at its peak. I almost never enter the stadium, preferring to wander the outside courts, where the crowds are smaller and multilingual.

The players' retinues - coaches and family members - often sit in a corner of the topmost row; last year I chatted with Agnieszka Radwanska's coach while she beat a young Chinese woman. At what other sporting event can you talk to a coach while his player is in the middle of competition?

You can pick your matches according to your linguistic interests. If you want to work on your Spanish, go watch the Argentinians. If you want to hear Russian, go see a woman whose name ends in "ova." (You have a wide choice.)

For lunch I recommend the crepes in the food court- for a little Gallic touch - and then a look at the practice courts, where last year I saw Rafael Nadal, in regular shorts, pushing a squeegee after a rain shower. Can you imagine watching Alex Rodriguez sweep the infield?

This is the great thing about wandering; as true at tennis tournaments as it is in travel: you see things that other people - those in the stadium, or on package tours - miss.